They found a brand new cat species?? What's the actual story — is it really new?
Saw headlines this week that scientists discovered a new cat species — it's pulling 100K+ searches. I'm curious about a couple things: 1. Is it genuinely a new species, or one of those 'reclassified from another subspecies' situations? 2. Do zoos or conservation centers ever get animals like this, or do they stay in protected areas only? I've always wanted to see something like this in person someday. What's realistic here?
1 answer
- the describing institution's own press release
Check the institution's own press page, not the aggregator headlines. It will link the actual paper, the type specimen, and how they confirmed it (camera traps, eDNA, morphology). That's how you separate a real new species from a reclassification: reclassifications cite genetics plus older specimens; new discoveries describe a type specimen and a collection site. As for seeing one in person — almost certainly field-study-only for years, if ever. Captive display isn't how these work.